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Following back-to-back 17th place finishes, no club on earth has been busier than Tottenham Hotspur so far in this transfer window. As Roberto De Zerbi looks to completely reshape his squad, Spurs have already signed six new senior players.
Tottenham's summer 2026 signings so far
- Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. £100 million - central midfielder.
- Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United. £85 million - central midfielder.
- Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton. £52 million - centre-back.
- Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth. Free transfer - centre-back.
- Andy Robertson from Liverpool. Free transfer - left-back.
- Martin Dúbravka from Burnley. Free transfer - goalkeeper.
Fair to say, Tottenham are far from finished there. All six signings have joined from fellow Premier League clubs, or at least those who were in the league last season, a clear strategy from De Zerbi and technical director Johan Lange. However, for their next recruit, may Spurs be looking just the other side of Hadrian's Wall.
As reported by Fraser Fletcher of Team Talk, Tottenham are strongly interested in signing Celtic's Arne Engels. The Belgian has been identified as a potential replacement for Lucas Bergvall, who is pushing to leave the club this summer. According to reports, Nottingham Forest have had two bids rejected for the Swede, the second of which was £46 million, with Newcastle also interested. With Bergvall's departure seemingly inevitable, would Engels be a suitable replacement?
Arne Engels' career so far
Engels is a 22 year old Belgian international midfield. He began his career at Club Brugge, albeit never represented their first team. He thereby joined Augsburg in January 2023, appearing 53 times for the Bundesliga side, before moving to Celtic on deadline day of the 2024 summer transfer window. Signed for £11 million, he remains the Hoops' record-signing, brought in to replace Matt O'Riley.
Across two seasons in Glasgow, Engels has made 98 appearances for the Celts, scoring 17 goals and registering 21 assists. Of his 17 goals, 12 have been penalties, missing just two, also scoring from long-range against Dunfermline in May's Scottish Cup Final at Hampden. During a period of turmoil at Parkhead, Engels has largely remained a first-choice figure, irrespective of who the manager is.
At international level, his career has rather stalled. He has won four senior caps for Belgian, all coming during the 2024 UEFA Nations League campaign, including started defeats against both Italy and Israel in November of that year. However, since Domenico Tedesco was sacked and replaced by Rudi Garcia, he has been in the wilderness. Engels will hope that, whoever the new Red Devils head coach is, will give him a call up, and a move to the Premier League would surely only help his cause.
What are Arne Engels' strengths and why are Tottenham interested?
Engels' is a creative midfield first and foremost, but is also something of an all-rounder. In last season's Scottish Premiership, he racked up six big chances created and 43 key passes, as well as 318 passes completed in the final third, partially due to the fact that Celtic dominate possession in every domestic match that they play.
Nevertheless, Engels is more than just a classic number ten 'trequartista'. He is an excellent dribbler in tight spaces, and is capable running the hard yards too, covering a lot of ground and putting in the defensive work, as has been the case in Celtic's European matches against stronger opposition.
Engels is far from a complete package, nor the finished product, but all the raw ingredients are there for him to become a top player in the years to come. Stylistically, it is easy to understand why he has been identified as a Bergvall replacement, given their similarities.
How much could Engels cost?
According to all reports, Celtic are demanding £25 million for the Belgian, who still has two years remaining on his contract. This is pretty standard for the Scottish Premiership champions.
Celtic's three joint-record sales are all at the £25 million mark, namely Kieran Tierney to Arsenal, Jota to Al-Ittihad and Matt O'Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion, looking for a similar fee again.
Would Arne Engels be a good signing for Tottenham?
To conclude, this appears to be a smart move from Tottenham. With Bergvall pushing to go, De Zerbi would need a new all-round midfielder, and Engels does fit the bill. The Italian's all-action, high-octane style of football would get the best out of Engels, who is available at an affordable price.
Thus, the Belgian could soon become the sixth man to represent both Celtic and Spurs, after Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Joe Hart, Robbie Keane and Ramon Vega.
Today's best reads
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- Louis Saha made a bold prediction Tottenham fans never expected (but will love)
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- It didn't take long for Roberto De Zerbi to prove one of his biggest criticisms wrong
This article was originally published on hotspurhq.com as Who is Arne Engels? Everything Tottenham fans must know about latest transfer target.
